Friday, May 23, 2014

The Spectacular Now (2013) [R] ****

A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on Aug 2, 2013.

Potential Spoilers: I reveal a little
more about the plot than I normally do in reviews, primarily because I want to
discuss the way the film progresses during its second half. There are no big reveals in the review - it's not the
kind of movie that features twists, anyway - but those who want to avoid plot
details may wish to return after having seen the film.

One
of the criteria I use assess the lasting power of a movie is whether the
characters stay with me after I leave the theater. With many films, even those
I recommend or classify as good,
that's not the case. With The Spectacular
Now, it is. The two leads, Miles
Teller's Sutter Keely and Shailene
Woodley's Aimee Finicky are so well drawn and believably portrayed that
it's impossible not to accept them as real. Their tribulations don't feel like
something lifted off the page of a movie script. In addition to Teller and
Woodley, credit for this goes to director James
Ponsoldt and screenwriters Scott
Neustadter & Michael H. Weber,
who may be on their way to a second indie success (their first one being 500 Days of Summer).

The Spectacular Now's DNA contains elements
of the John Hughes teen comedy-dramas of the '80s. There's also a little
Cameron Crowe - in fact, replace the soundtrack with something more dynamic and
it might be easy to mistake this for a Crowe film. The first two-thirds are
fairly light as they navigate the familiar pathway of a high school relationship
that develops between two unlikely opposites. But The Spectacular Now doesn't opt for the cheap payoff. Instead, the
final half-hour plunges into territory that's darker and more serious than what
we get in most movies of this sort. The transition from teen romantic comedy to
dual coming of age story is, for the most part, handled smoothly. We don't feel
like we have been jerked out of one movie and plopped into another. The
consistency of the characters is a key reason for this. The cracks that expand
into fissures have been there all along.

Sutter
Keely is a popular 18-year old who approaches high school graduation like he's
been repeatedly listening to Glory Days.
When an adult asks him about his plans for the future, he says he thinks
growing up is overrated then turns the table on the teacher by asking him if
he's happy. Sutter's unwillingness to face the future becomes the
irreconcilable difference in his relationship with Cassidy (Brie Larson), who quickly transitions
from girlfriend to ex-girlfriend. As funny and clever as he can be, there's
something broken deep within Sutter. His relationship with his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is strained.
There's not much of an emotional bond between him and his sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). And his
father (Kyle Chandler) has been out of
the picture for half his life.

He
meets Aimee when she discovers him lying on a lawn one morning while she's
doing her paper route. He's not sure how he got there - he has a tendency to
drink too much and the night before was a case in point. With little else to
do, Sutter decides to accompany Aimee on the rest of her route. She's thrilled
to have the company of a popular guy - something unusual for a wallflower like
her. Despite his protestations to his friends that it's just platonic, his
relationship with Aimee grows increasingly amorous. They challenge one another
and discover a surprising and unexpected compatibility. Then Sutter learns his
father's whereabouts. He invites Aimee to go with him on a road trip and that's
when everything changes - both in terms of the movie's predictability and its
tone.

What
The Spectacular Now accomplishes in
its final 30 minutes cannot be overstated. Since the movie is told from
Sutter's perspective, it's perhaps not surprising that we gain a new and deeper
understanding of his character as a result of his encounter with his father and
the aftermath. The movie, however, provides an equally vivid portrait of Aimee
as events - some of them seemingly harsh - forge her in the kiln of late
adolescence. The final scene, which I won't reveal here, may be seen by some as
abrupt and unsatisfying, but if you think about where the characters are in
that moment, the paths they have taken to get to that point, and the way the
actors play the scene, there's no cliffhanger. The situation is obvious. We
know how the next scene would play out if there was another one before the end
credits.

The Spectacular Now is perfectly cast.
Miles Teller channels equal parts John Cusack and Patrick Dempsey in his
portrayal of a likeable goof whose charm starts to wear thin once you get to
know him. Shailene Woodley, best known for The
Secret Life of the American Teenager and possibly destined to become Mary
Jane Watson at some point in the future, is credible as the shy, nerdy girl who
blossoms because of Sutter's friendship. And this isn't the case of a Hollywood
romantic comedy makeover - the transformation is believable. Aimee dresses
better, takes more care with her hair, and applies a little makeup, but she
doesn't go from ugly duckling to supermodel. Effective support is provided by
Brie Larson, whose role as Sutter's ex doesn't fit into the usual romantic complications category, and
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kyle Chandler as the mom and dad whose parental style
is critical to understanding Sutter's personality.

The Spectacular Now is something many
movies about teenagers aren't: smart. It treats the characters and audience
with respect. It doesn't resort to dumb humor and bathroom jokes to enliven the
proceedings. The sex scene is tasteful but gets the point(s) across. The
movie's initial structure is familiar enough to establish a layer of comfort
that falls away once we realize that we're headed for a deeper, richer
experience than the usual boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl-back.
Through August, 2013 has been characterized by big budget disappointments and
under-the-radar surprises. The
Spectacular Now is one of the most remarkable entries into the latter
category. [Berardinelli’s rating: *** ½ out of 4 stars]